The world cup is going to kill us!

[sydney eagle]

this is from Canadas http://www.thestar.com

Soccer fans risk health penalty
By Prithi Yelaja
Medical Reporter


What might sound like heaven for die-hard soccer fans — staying up to watch World Cup games in the middle of the night as they gorge themselves on beer and chips — could actually be a recipe for disaster.

The lack of sleep, combined with the other behaviour that tends to go along with being a loyal soccer fan — emotional overreaction, physical inactivity and excessive consumption of alcohol and junk food — can provoke high levels of stress, increasing the risk of cardiac problems, warns the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

An overreaction? Hardly.

A recent study in the British Medical Journal links 14 cardiovascular deaths among Dutch males to the elimination of the Netherlands team in the quarter-finals of the 1996 European football championship.

And that was without the added stress of a 12- to 13-hour time difference.

Self-professed soccer nut Dr. Diego Delgado has been setting his alarm for 1:30 a.m. so he doesn't miss a single World Cup match, televised live from Japan and South Korea.

"When you grow up with this soccer fever, it's part of your life and your culture. These are important games I cannot miss. I yell, I scream, I swear at the TV," said Diego, 32, a cardiologist at Toronto General Hospital who immigrated to Canada from Argentina two years ago.

"But I was extremely tired over the weekend. It definitely interferes with your life."

Bouts of tension can be dangerous, especially for people whose cardiovascular systems are already compromised, said Dr. Brian Baker, a cardiology psychiatrist and spokesperson for Heart and Stroke.

"Being at the mercy of what is happening on the TV screen can be extremely stress-producing. Soccer is a low-scoring game, which adds to the tension," he said. "And the fact that the fortunes of your nation are at stake cranks up the stress level."

Not getting enough sleep is particularly harmful.

Heart attacks tend to occur between 6 a.m. and noon, and disturbing the sleep/wake cycle for weeks on end could trigger one, said Baker.

"The average person is not at risk, but there are millions of people who are watching that don't know they have (underlying) heart disease."

While stress doesn't cause heart disease, it can exacerbate it.

A heart made vulnerable by damage from high blood pressure, bad eating habits, too much weight and not enough exercise is ripe for trouble when overloaded by stress.

Fans, for many of whom the game is a secular religion, admit they are stressed out.

"It's a month of extreme stress for me. It's like nail-biting time. You want your country so badly to win. You forget about everything else," said Tonny Bergh, 50, a carpenter who has promised friends that he will walk down Danforth Ave. wearing nothing but a Swedish flag if the Swedes win.

Siro Trevisanato is frantically trying to rearrange his work schedule to watch as many games live as possible.

He scouted out a lounge at the Hospital for Sick Children yesterday morning to catch the Italy vs. Ecuador game, before zipping across the street to a meeting at another hospital.

"Being Italian, it goes without saying that I'm passionate about soccer. But in this case I have to control myself because they said hospital security would come and remove me if I get too loud," said Trevisanato, 41, a molecular biologist.

Heart and Stroke has tips for a stress-free World Cup:

Avoid anger when the referee makes a controversial call, a player is injured or your team loses. This is particularly important for men aged 50 and older as studies show a significant correlation between anger and heart disease and stroke.

Avoid or limit alcohol consumption, which raises blood pressure, interrupts sleep patterns, contributing to exhaustion, irritability and stress.

Pace yourself and get adequate sleep. If you must watch games in the middle of the night, make up the lost sleep.

Keep fit by doing stretches and warm-up exercises at half time. Between games, a brisk walk, jog or kicking a ball around in your own soccer game are good stress-busters.

Regular, healthy meals that include plenty of fruits and vegetables are crucial to avoiding stress. Chips, greasy snacks and high fat dips should be avoided.

Laughter is a secret weapon to avoid stress. It strengthens the immune system, reduces levels of stress hormones, stimulates the brain, ventilates the lungs and lowers blood pressure.